Sodium copper chlorophyllin
Sodium copper chlorophyllinCAS 28302-36-5
Listed as a colour by Canada and the US.
Listed as colours (CA, US)
- Canada: Food colour — Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Colours (List 3)
- United States: Color additive (21 CFR part 73) — 21 CFR 73.125
- United States: Color or coloring adjunct — FDA, Substances Added to Food: SODIUM COPPER CHLOROPHYLLIN
Sodium copper chlorophyllin is a green colour made from chlorophyll, stabilised by swapping the magnesium at the centre of the molecule for copper. Plain chlorophyll goes a dull olive when heated or acidified; this does not.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | Permitted, with conditions | highest permitted level 300 mg/kg 3 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Colours (List 3)and 2 further provisionsretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | Permitted, with conditions | Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 275, 銅クロロフィリンナトリウム (“Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin” in the unofficial English translation). …Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 275, 銅クロロフィリンナトリウム (“Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin” in the unofficial English translation). Standards for use — Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (MHW Notification No. 370 of 1959), Part II (Food Additives), F (Standards for use), entry 銅クロロフィリンナトリウム: (1) [may be used only in the foods stated] “銅クロロフィリンナトリウムは、あめ類、果実類又は野菜類の貯蔵品、魚肉ねり製品(魚肉すり身を除く。以下この目において同じ。)、こんぶ、シロップ、チューインガム、チョコレート、生菓子(菓子パンを除く。以下この目において同じ。)及びみつ豆缶詰又はみつ豆合成樹脂製容器包装詰中の寒天以外の食品に使用してはならない。” (2) [sets maximum levels of use for the foods stated] “銅クロロフィリンナトリウムの使用量は、銅として、こんぶにあってはその無水物1kgにつき0.15g以下、果実類又は野菜類の貯蔵品にあってはその1kgにつき0.10g以下、シロップにあってはその1kgにつき0.064g以下、チューインガムにあってはその1kgにつき0.050g以下、魚肉ねり製品にあってはその1kgにつき0.040g以下、あめ類にあってはその1kgにつき0.020g以下、チョコレート及び生菓子にあってはその1kgにつき0.0064g以下、みつ豆缶詰又はみつ豆合成樹脂製容器包装詰中の寒天にあってはその1kgにつき0.0004g以下でなければならない。” The Japanese is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the Notification; the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications for this additive, in the same Notification, are not imported and are not shown here; nor are the general rules in F 添加物一般, which apply to every additive. | Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act (MHW Ordinance No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 1retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Permitted | 21 CFR 73.125retrieved 2026-10-17 | |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Canada | 300 mg/kg | 2 numeric limit, 1 GMP |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
What it is made from
Extracted from alfalfa, nettles or silkworm droppings, then treated to replace magnesium with copper. The silkworm route is used in parts of Asia, and the source is not declared.
- Vegan status depends on the source
- Vegetarian status depends on the source
- May raise a halal question
- May raise a kosher question
This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 28302-36-5
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
As it appears in regulation
- Sodium copper chlorophyllin
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Sodium copper chlorophyllin?
- Sodium copper chlorophyllin is a green colour made from chlorophyll, stabilised by swapping the magnesium at the centre of the molecule for copper. Plain chlorophyll goes a dull olive when heated or acidified; this does not.
- What is Sodium copper chlorophyllin used for in food?
- It is listed as a colour — the role Canada and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Sodium copper chlorophyllin banned in Europe?
- No. Sodium copper chlorophyllin does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
- Where is Sodium copper chlorophyllin permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada, Japan and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Sodium copper chlorophyllin vegan?
- It depends on the source, and a label will not tell you. Sodium copper chlorophyllin can be made from plant or animal material, manufacturers are not obliged to say which, and the same product can change between production runs. Anyone who needs to know has to ask the manufacturer.
Sources for this page
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- jp retrieved 2026-10-18
- ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17
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